Nail clipper implements fabricated from sheet metal stock are widely manufactured and sold in various sizes and configurations. Conventionally, the more modern nail clipper implements utilize spring steel to provide inherent biasing action and are fastened together at the end opposite their ground or machined jaws by welding, riveting or the like. The operation lever for manufacturing the jaw elements so as to move them towards each other is conventionally mounted upon a pivot stud which extends through apertures formed in the jaw elements adjacent the cutter jaws and it is rotatable within the apertures to effect rotation of the operating lever which may itself pivot thereon. In this manner, the operating lever may be moved from operative to inoperative positions conveniently and readily.
To effect this desired rotation, it has been conventional to employ a pivot member of circular cross section which is headed at one end to underlie the lower of the jaw elements and which has notches adjacent the other end to pivotably seat the operating lever. Illustrative of such nail clippers is that illustrated in Loda U.S. Pat. No. 3,089,239. The use of such pivot studs affords some disadvantages due to cost, problems in manufacture, and problems in retaining the operating lever in the desired operative or inoperative positions.
It has been heretofore proposed to manufacture nail implements utilizing non-circular configurations for the pivot member such as the structures illustrated in Wright U.S. Pat. No. 796,389; Pettibone U.S. Pat. No. 1,066,839; Wiesenburg U.S. Pat. No. 1,426,696; Carter et al U.S. Pat. No. 1,436,010; Schnefel U.S. Pat. No. 1,702,137; Langley U.S. Pat No. 2,616,436; and Senshu U.S. Pat. No. 2,799,923. However, such structures have employed less desirable modes of operation or have themselves imparted difficulties in manufacture.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel nail clipper implement employing a pivot member of rectangular cross section for each and economy of manufacture.
It is also an object to provide such a nail clipper implement in which the operating lever may be locked in one or both of its operative and inoperative positions.
Another object is to provide such a nail clipper implement in which the pivot members may be readily fabricated from sheet metal stock by stamping or like operations so that all the elements of the nail clipper implement may be readily fabricated upon high speed manufacturing equipment.